Charlie Mullins, managing director of a large plumbing firm in London, did
something unthinkable recently. He asked his 200 employees to go into a room
and tell each other what they earned. Staff, from senior managers to canteen
workers, wrote down their name and salary on a Post-it note then pinned it
to a noticeboard. The highest earners were asked if they would consider
taking a small pay cut to redistribute money to the lowest earners.

Can you imagine such a thing happening in your workplace? No, of course you
can’t. Discussing personal pay is a British taboo. To ask